1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical transceiver, in particular, relates to a releasing mechanism from a cage of a pluggable type optical transceiver.
2. Related Prior Arts
The pluggable transceiver is used in a configuration to be inserted into the cage provided on the substrate of the host system. The cage is a metal box, one end of which is opened for the face panel of the host system, and the pluggable transceiver is inserted into this opening. On the substrate of the host system and in the deep end within the cage is installed with an electronic connector that is to be mated with an electronic plug provided in the transceiver when the transceiver is inserted into the cage, which secures a communication pass between the transceiver and the host system.
It is preferable that, once the transceiver being inserted into the cage, the transceiver is hard to be extracted therefrom. Accordingly, both the transceiver and the cage provide a mechanism to prevent the transceiver from being extracted from the cage when the transceiver receives an optical connector and an optical fiber secured in the optical connector and a semiconductor optical device are optically coupled with each other. In conventional pluggable transceivers, a projection formed in the bottom of the transceiver is latched with an opening formed in the tab provided in the front bottom of the cage to prevent the transceiver from being slipped out from the cage. In order to extract the transceiver from the cage, it is necessary to pull the projection inward the transceiver to release the latching with the opening. In another way, it may release the latching between the projection and the opening to push the tab of the cage outward the transceiver.
Various releasing mechanism of the pluggable transceiver have been reported. The U.S. Pat. No. 6,439,918 has disclosed one mechanism using a bail and an actuator. By rotating the bail in front of the transceiver, which is inserted into the cage, one tip of the bail pushes one end of the actuator outward the transceiver, so the other end of the actuator, which moves in a seesaw motion around an axis, is pulled inward the transceiver. Accordingly, the projection formed in the other end of the actuator is released from the latching with the tab of the cage.
Recently, an idea for utilizing the pluggable transceiver is suggested, in which a host system with a plurality of pluggable transceivers, each densely arranged thereon, is applied for the optical hub system, as shown in FIG. 14. For example, by arranging pluggable transceiver, each having an opening space about one square centimeter, by 16 in horizontal and 2 to 4 in vertical, thus, a hub system can be realized with 32 to 64 channels for the optical communication. In such system and under the condition that neighbor ports receive transceivers and each transceiver mates with an optical connector, the target transceiver can not be occasionally handled to extract it from the cage by the existence of the neighbor transceivers and the optical cables.
The present invention was performed based on the above subject. That is, the present invention is to provide a releasing mechanism that, even in the optical hub with densely arranged transceivers, the target transceiver can be easily extracted from the cage.